last week. Doggoned if they
ain't put a bullet clean through it!"

"And lucky for you they did," grunted Tar Soap Mullin, who had earned
this name from the kind of lather he used in shampooing himself every
Saturday night. "If that bullet hadn't happened to hit your plug it
would have plugged you."

And this was evident when Snake took out the tobacco in question. The
lead missile had struck the hard and pressed cake of tobacco, striking a
tin tag fastened to it, and thus the force of the bullet had been
neutralized, giving Snake no more than a severe shock and bruise.

"Well, it might have been worse," the cowboy grimly said, as he tucked
back his shirt, and put the tobacco in another pocket. "Now we got to
get busy! This is getting serious!" Bud and his chums thought he might
have said it was serious from the start, as indeed it was.

"What I picked you fellows out for," went on Snake, "is to take a sort of
scurry out there and see who's doin' all this shootin'." He clipped
letters off his words in his haste. "We're goin' out there an' see if we
can take 'em in the rear, while Yellin' Kid holds their attention in
front."

"Do you reckon they're Yaquis?" asked Tar Soap.

"Might be, then ag'in might not. If they aren't I don't see why in the
name of all the rattlers of Forked Rover [Transcriber's note: River?]
they're pickin' on us."

The method of procedure was simple and quickly agreed upon. Snake was to
lead the boy ranchers and his half of the party, by as safe and devious a
route as possible, out of the natural fort, to try and take the enemy in
the rear. If they could be placed between two fires--that of Snake's
party and of Yellin' Kid's--a surrender might be compelled.

"And don't take too many chances," advised Snake, as the sally forth was
started. "Watch yourselves."

They all knew enough to do this.

"When do we start?" asked Bud in a low voice, as Snake seemed to be
delaying for some reason.

"Soon as the Kid and his lads start firing," was the answer. "They're to
hold the Indians' attention in front while we come at 'em from the flank
and rear. Get ready--it may come at any moment now!"

It did, a second or two later--the signal. Amid a burst of shots from
Yellin' Kid and his force, Snake led the way with his men, all of them
crouching down to keep as much as possible behind the rocks.

"Don't shoot until you see something to shoot at," Snake had ordered.
"Save your lead."